Algerian Winger Riyad Mahrez Signs 4-Year Contract With Leicester

Algerian Winger Riyad Mahrez Signs a New Four Year Contract With Leicester City

Algerian Winger Riyad Mahrez

Leicester City has announced their Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez has signed a new deal with the club, keeping him in King Power stadium until 2020.

The 25 year old has been rumored to be making a move to fellow Premier League club Arsenal for past several weeks, as well as Chelsea and Barcelona.

The news came as a huge relief for Leicester fans, who were worried of losing their star player after midfielder N’Golo Kante has already left the club. Mahrez joins teammates Wes Morgan, Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel, Andy King, and coach Claudio Ranieri in signing new contracts this summer.

The Algerian international was heavily involved in a historic season last year, when Leicester worked past 5,000 to 1 odds to win the Premier League title for the first time ever.

The winger scored 17 goals and had 11 assists, earning him the PFA Players’ Player of the Year Award. Details of his new salary were not revealed — he was reportedly earning just $3.73 million per year in his last contract.

[AdSense-A]

East Midlands based club’s chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha already stated that Mahrez was not for sale, as he is trying to keep hold of all the key players for 2016/17 season.

Mahrez joined Leicester back in January 2014 from Le Havre, a second tier French club. He had previously stated that only two or three clubs in the world can pull him away from Leicester. During an interview with France Football magazine, he was quoted saying, “Now, there are two or three clubs in the world, that if they come for me, it definitely makes you think, if you understand what I am trying to say.”

He also praised his current coach Ranieri in the same interview, saying he has developed his game to a higher level:

“I have progressed because of the work demanded by the coach, but also by the invisible training: what to eat, recuperating, resting. I have matured a lot with that.”

Ranieri has also said Mahrez is very happy at the club and will continue for the next season on several press conferences.

The foxes will need to hold on to all the help they can get, as they suffered a shocking away defeat to newly promoted Hull City during the first game of Premier League season last Saturday.

They are in for another tough matchup this weekend, when they play their home opener against last season’s runner ups Arsenal on Saturday.